Land Rover Defender 130 Outbound | PH Review
If you want, Land Rover will remove the 130's third row of seats and board up the windows. Makes sense
When Land Rover originally conceived of a long wheelbase version of the 110 back in the early ‘80s, it did so with the intention of selling to an unambiguous niche - specifically people who could make good use of the additional 17 inches it added to the wheelbase. Like utility firms operating in the middle of nowhere. Or the military. Even allowing for the Defender’s wholly utilitarian start in life, the 127 - so-called just because that’s how long it was - was arguably the most transparently commercial derivative.
When Land Rover launched the 21st-century version toward the end of 2022, it made a lot of fuss about the 130’s ability to now accommodate eight people thanks to two rows of three - the furthermost one facilitated by a much more capacious rear end. But it was not talking about burly workmen or soldiers. The modern 130 is aimed squarely at a different sort of niche buyer; chiefly put-upon parents with many children to seat, and, let’s face it, money to burn.
Nothing wrong with that, of course - we rather like the 130 - but by targeting those with larger broods so keenly, the stretched Defender did imperil some of its innate, gravelly Defender-ness. Was anyone really planning to convey seven minors into the wilderness? In the UK, probably not. So while the 130 was admirably good at its main reason for being, its crèche-on-wheels vibe did risk alienating anyone who simply fancied the biggest Defender because it came with the biggest boot.
Ever alive to a trim-based opportunity, Land Rover has set about adding some much-needed grit to the pillowy 130 mix. On the one hand, you can now buy the model with a supercharged V8, which, it turns out, is a very satisfying thing to do. On the other, there is the Outbound, a diesel-only variant conjured straight from the Gaydon mood wall: no more third row of seats, wall-to-wall rubber floor matting, lashing points galore and body-coloured rear panels where previously there was unmanly glass.
Whether or not you get on with the boarded-up look is probably going to go a long way to deciding how much you like the Outbound. When Land Rover originally revealed the car online, it was festooned with additional, outdoorsy stowage solutions and proper off-road tyres. This, it turns out, was a shrewd decision because it helped draw the eye away from those ‘signature’ panels - with the optional clutter gone (and no glass to see through) it really is hard to escape the oft-mentioned magnitude of the 130’s sticky-out back end. For some, it likely edges too close to a commercial-grade Hardtop for comfort.
But there’s no questioning the upside to all this newly partitioned real estate. The boot is every bit as humungous as its proportions suggest. Unwise to take manufacturer figures at face value when it comes to comparative volumes, but the 1,329 litres Land Rover reckons is available rings true - not least because there’s nearly 1.3m of loadspace before you even get to the back seats. Fold them (nearly) flat and you’ll have a distinctly airy 2,516 litres to play with.
There’s a token parcel shelf included, but given its fabric and fiddly (and you can’t really see into the boot anyway) probably it isn’t meant to last very long. Everything else, though, appears to be as hard-wearing as a pair of welly boots, and some additional cubby holes - not to mention an (optional) three-pin plug socket among other natty features - signal the car’s can-do attitude. You could lose a couple of fairly large dogs back there no problem. Spend time chucking virtually anything in there and it's easy to think the Outbound is a split tailgate away from load-lugging perfection.
Its charm offensive isn’t scuppered by a trip to the driver’s seat either. Living with a 130 obviously means bearing its extra length in mind (bombshell: at 5.3 metres with the spare wheel, this is not a car you want to be parallel parking much) but otherwise the largest Defender is no less pleasant to drive than any other. Much as it did in its eight-seat configuration, the Outbound flatters to deceive, lolling amiably and progressively on its air suspension in all the moments that don’t require it to firm up just enough for you to be impressed with how deftly it also gets round corners. For its size, anyway.
It is for this reason that you don’t dwell too much on its kerbweight, which supposedly starts at 2,586kg in its stocking feet and will keep accepting occupants and wetsuits and bikes and camping equipment up to a startling gross weight of 3,380kg. Thank goodness then for the always-ample, surly shove of the D300 straight-six, which, in terms of delivery and responsiveness, is no less well-judged than the chassis. Predictably, Land Rover concedes you’ll be marginally slower to 60mph than you would in a 110 - but the Outbound is brisk enough in gear that you seldom want for more forward momentum.
This is probably a good thing when you consider the effect that the 130’s size and weight and shape is having on the 89-litre fuel tank. Land Rover optimistically quotes a 32.1mpg average via its WLTP rating, but the trip computer suggested our test car had barely cracked 27mpg over the previous 500 miles. A middling concern, perhaps, for someone prepared to shell out the £93,175 needed to buy an Outbound with the Driver Assist Pack, the Comfort and Convenience Pack, the Cold Climate Pack and the Detachable Towing Pack ticked. Not to mention the Electronic Active rear diff that helps facilitate next-level off-road performance.
In that regard, and despite the 130’s slightly inferior departure angle, the Outbound brings with it the familiar Defender flair for muck(ing about). Even on the default all-season tyres it easily lives up to its hurly-burly image - and is very easy to like, too. Still, it's a shame Land Rover didn't go all-in on the concept and make some of the Defender's gnarlier off-road cost options (the Goodyear Wrangler tyres, the active diff, the configurable Terrain Response 2 system etc) standard on a car it has explicitly teed up for ‘extreme adventures’. Presumably it has one eye on the long-mooted Defender SVX derivative and where those bragging rights ultimately belong - but it does make the stock Outbound seem mildly less compelling than it otherwise might. Still, in spirit at least, this is as close to a 127 as we’re likely to get. And if you’re inclined to think bigger really is better, there is nothing else quite like it.
SPECIFICATION | LAND ROVER DEFENDER 130 OUTBOUND
Engine: 2,997cc, straight-six, diesel
Transmission: 8-speed automatic, all-wheel drive
Power (hp): 300 @ 4,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 479 @ 1,500-2,500rpm
0-62mph: 7.1secs
Top speed: 119mph
Weight: 2,586kg (DIN)
MPG: 32.1
CO2: 231g/km
Price: £81,285 (price as tested: £93,175)
Joking aside, it must be hard work in the product design team determining customer needs on these, given so many of these must be purchased with the heart rather than the head - "Most of our customers are urban dwellers but we definitely need to put a hose down boot in because it's a Defender"
Good for JLR offering more options than run of the mill, even though many owners would likely fill the space with cup holders or wellies & a yurte...but as Harry's Garage concluded, the new one does still work for farmers and the Kinsgley Holgate Foundation have been all over the place in theirs.
"Another middle class Panzer tank"
"Ugly"
"Why..." etc
Or veneration of the JLR brand based on the proposition rather than the reality.
For me I'm somewhere in the middle. I can't stand the greyed out aesthetic, the 'black pack urban" look that is so prevalent. Hopefully one day we'll look back and see we lost our senses
But in the meantime, kudos to JLR for offering something utilitarian in their grand tradition of expedition vehicles. Would I take this over a 70 series Land Cruiser if I was travelling serious distances? Of course not. But do I like the idea of this thing? Of course.
That is scary.
We are a family of five and having watched Harry's video review and praise for the utility of this very model, am I wrong to be vaguely dreaming of a second hand 110 in the future...? Apparently so.
That is scary.
We are a family of five and having watched Harry's video review and praise for the utility of this very model, am I wrong to be vaguely dreaming of a second hand 110 in the future...? Apparently so.
None of this stops me from day dreaming on the JLR configurator mind......
I absolutely love my 110, there arnet enough words in the dictionary to compliment it or Land Rover with the whole “experience” I’ve received since owning it, but it makes V little sense to buy one for my business. Which in my opinion, should be where that is aimed at, surely? A super comfortable mile muncher that can swallow the world, and still get me about off road (ranges etc.).
A hybrid 130 “commercial” however, with a decent tax break to boot I’d snap up in a heart beat.
Edit: included an image to prove they arnet all used to ferry hurrah’s around London.
Joking aside, it must be hard work in the product design team determining customer needs on these, given so many of these must be purchased with the heart rather than the head - "Most of our customers are urban dwellers but we definitely need to put a hose down boot in because it's a Defender"
It would not surprise me if LR pulled the Discovery 5 this year, for good.
We nearly got stuck 2000 metres up in the Caucasus' on Sunday when an unexpected snow storm & -10 temps moved in overnight. My 110 handled the drive down the mountain on a very narrow lane covered with ice & snow with little to no fuss. The only problem I had were the 3 point turns on some the tighter hairpin bends. The Defender is quite amazing and I really can't find fault with the thing.
We even had time to squeeze in an elderly Georgian gentlemen that was looking for a lift down the mountain, he unable to walk down as he had recently had an operation on his stomach. If the new Defender can impress an elderly mountain man from the Caucasus' it's good enough for me.
The day before the storm.
Where has the road gone?
Made it down but it now needs a clean.
kpanza article. Sliding residuals to add to questionable build and reliability. Perfect for the fragile, urban ego.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff